Hey everyone! Well, it is 4 AM and once again I can't sleep due to knee pains. It has been happening for the last 2 weeks. Tonight is deffinalty the worst. I took 2 darvecets about 3 hrs ago and no relief and then I tried 100mg tramadol about an hour and a half ago..I think it has actually gotten worse. It feels like someone has stabbed my knee and is grinding a knife back and forth in it. I have been on the verge of tears it is hurting so bad. The pain will radiate all the way down my shin to my ankle. I honeslty don't think I have ever experienced pain like this before. Sometimes it will be in both knees and sometimes it is just in my right knee. Does anyone have any suggestions? Can it be from the prednisone? If so....would having my doc lower the dose help? Right now I am down to 40mg. Have been taking high doses since January 16th ish. Oh, when I get up and walk around, the pain seems to get less, now that I am sitting in the chair it is deffinatly starting to feel better, now it just feels like i was stabbed, the knife grinding back and forth sensation has stopped!

Another question....I am an accountant so I sit and pretty much stare at numbers and the computer all day. I am starting to notice sometimes when I am looking at the computer, it seems like there has been placed almost a clear blanket over my eyes. I will blink several times and it will go away. This is starting to happen probably 2-4 times a day. I am a little worried about it because less than a year ago I spent 4 grand to have Lasik eye surgury and I am hoping Lupus or any of my meds isnt attacking my eyes...

Yes, I have had this and I take tramadol as well and it doesn't touch it. I'm not sure exactly what it is, but if I feel deep into the cracks of the joints under the knee cap I can feel great heat. Do you sleep with a pillow under your knees--foryour your lower spine? That was really aggravating it for me, when usually it helps leg fatigue, swelling, pain, etc. I have herniated disks pressing on the nerve roots in my lower spine as well as stenosis, and sitting at a computer (I'm a former DBA/programmer) doesn't help it any.

As for the eyes, I would definitely get a hold of your lasix provider because you paid a premium to have it done and should have no problems. I had PRK because my eyes were too damaged frm sjogrens to get laisix and paid half that. Besides, you don't want problems with the flap. In PRK, there is no flap.

I did have alot of problems with my eyes when I worked, they would ache and just tear, sometimes for hours after work. Often I had to go home and lay down and put something over them. I also had problems with floaters. In the end, I got so scared I forced myself to look away at least every fifteen minutes, get up and stretch too, and while that isn't always possible, it was a good thing to aim for. You might see about a better, more back friendly chair too. My eyes have problems outside of sjogrens that have yet to be dx.

I would adjust your refresh rate in your desktop properties to as high as you can. If the monitor appears wavy at all or irritating to you, try to swap for a newer one with a higher refresh rate. Also, turning the brightness down and changing your background to black, your windows to gray, or other soothing colors can help alot.

I don't even read long docs on the pc anymore, I use deskbot a free tool from Belcraft technologies that reads for me and I listen through headphones. If I dohave to read and edit, I changethe background color of the word doc temporarily to a soothing color or wear sunglasses, which really help.

The black framed blue lensed sunglass looking safety glasses for seven dollars are very comfortable and dont distort color that much but reduce glare. I had an amber pair I could wear day or night to reduce glare.

I hope this helps and that your knees get better. I ended up putting Bengay on them and that helped better than the meds. Also, straightening them for a few nights while I slept.Love, Marji

Thank you s much for the useful information! I wish I could say I sleep with a pillow under my knees but I don't! When the pain gets really bad, I will try to prop my feet up but that does no good and I usually end up havening to get up and pace aound for a bit and then sit in a chair. That is really the only thing I can find that helps the pain! I will be calling my lasik doctor and see what they have to say about it! Once again I appreciate all the helpful advice! !!!

I was told I had very little arthritis in the joints, but that I had "lupus arthritis" even though I don't have lupus, because there is so little damage. I do have nerve problems inmy lower back on the sciatica which messes with it too. Physical therapy can help once the pain subsides, just stretching and strengthening has become very necessary for me. The needing to get up and walk around soounds like restless leg, which I also have. The tearing knee pain is helped in my case by bengay and moving my back and legs and knees in a more comfortable position. I really sympathize as I've spent many sleepless nights due to this.Love, Marji

Wow Marji....It sounds like you have had a run with it and pain over the years! Before I was diagnosed when someone would talk about pain or sickness I would just brush it off. In a way, I am thankful for what has happened to me. It has opened up a whole new world/life for me. I am now able to sympathize with people, talk to people I normally wouldnt have, and it helped me grow up so quickly. I was the average 20 year old, maybe even worse, sneaking off to parties, getting drunk beyond remembering, doing stupid stuff. I believe if I wouldnt have been ripped back into reality I would probably be dead by now especailly remembering all the stupid stunts and tricks I used to pull! The reason I was diagnosed was because my joints/muscles would be a little sore in the morning and by the time I got off work, I would hardly be able to walk. I used to work in production, where I would walk around all day, carry 20-45 pds of boxes, and scan and package things up and mail them to people. I had to wait 2 more months until my insurance kicked in at work and then I went strait to a rhuemy. When I walked in the door I told them I had RA and that I needed meds for it. I honeslty thought I did because I have 2 grandmothers disabled from it and one grandfather that has it, but not to the pt of disablity. I hadnt ever heard of Lupus before I was diagnosed. When he told me I had Lupus I looked at him and said, you have to be mistaken...there is no way I have an STD! How sad is that...I thought Lupus was an std. He looked at me and busted out laughing and told me that it wasnt an STD and then he told me a little bit about it and gave me a brochure to read. He put me on plaquenil and daypro because my joints where 2-3 times the size they should be. Needless to say, since then, I have been really interested in all health matters and usually when I get home from work, if I don't go straight to bed, I research different medical issues. My plan is once I get my kidneys back to what they should and if we can keep my joint problems under control is to go back to school to be a Rhuemy. I think I would be one heck of a rhuematologist because I would be able to relate to the patients. Well I just realized that I have pretty much rambled on in this post...I guess I am a little lonley or maybe just talkative. HAHA! Well, this hopefully has helped everyone get to know me a little better...I guess I never did one of those I am new things...I just came on in and started asking questions! Maybe this will help everyone get to know me a little better! But as for now I think I am going to get a nice HOT HOT HOT bath. Hopefully the steam will help this sinus infection that I have had ever since I started taking cellcept almost 2 months ago. Its not to the point of running fevers or anything, there is just pressure on my eyes, runny nose, and sneezing. Nothing to serious but if it gets that way I will definatly call the doc back and see if he will put me on another set of antibiotics! Well I hope everyone is doing well!!!!